Behind The Smiles
by Silenced by a Smile
Summary: Aizen is pronounced truly dead, just as the Arrancars appear and Gin and Tousen abandon Soul Society. Meanwhile, there is a strange force at work as people end up multilated and missing from Rukongai's slums. Gin, Tousen and their army of Arrancars are not only looking for Orihime but for somebody else as well, who could become a weapon against Soul Society. What is going on?
1. Chapter 1: Fire

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach in any way, shape or form.

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**Behind the Smiles**

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**Chapter 1 **

"It's getting colder," A voice remarked within the shadows of Rukongai's slums.

"I know, please bear with me," Another voice replied, this time a more feminine, child-like one. A shuffling sound was heard before it stopped abruptly.

"No." A male voice, different from the first, intoned firmly and with a reluctant sigh from the feminine voice, a tiny shadow slipped away from the narrow, dirty alley. "We'll be out of here soon, I can feel it. What do you say, sister?"

The tiny shadow stopped in her tracks. "Um… are you sure it's a good idea? I mean anythi –"

"Come on!" The first voice said, its soft quality taking on a harsh edge. "You can't back out now! We've come all this way and for you to just abandon us like that?!"

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that! I meant that there are a lot of things that could go wrong, brother, you never know!" The girl's panicked breaths were quietly shushed by another taller shadow leaning over her.

"I know what can happen, sis. We're family, remember? If something goes wrong, we all die."

The girl sighed again and turned away from the other two. She took hasty steps until the end of the alley and leaned against one wall, scanning the dirty streets for passer-by's.

It was already past sunset, and the only streetlight in the district flickered a few feet away, illuminating the run-down, wooden houses in an on and off golden glow. Almost everyone in the area was home for the meagre dinner they could manage to gather in the nearby woods or through stealing, and those that couldn't get lucky were just trying to avoid the rare Shinigami patrols. Because it was one of the worst and most violent districts in Rukongai, the lowest of the low-ranked Shinigami were sent to patrol the area. However, they either didn't bother or just caused even more trouble in the already violent streets.

Luckily for her, the Shinigami had evidently chosen to skip on tonight's duty and with a hushed "I'll be back as soon as I can, please stay alive." she leaped out of the alley, mingling with the long shadows the rickety houses threw over the streets.

After her, two more shadows slipped out and fled in the opposite direction, the way only the experienced could. One of them let out a loud laugh as they passed by yet another street brawl and blood splattered their tattered kimonos. "Soul Society will never know what hit it!"

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"This is unacceptable! Something must be done!" Yamamoto's gruff voice rang out across the room, silencing the twelve captains and bringing them to attention. "Unohana-taicho, please repeat the report you gave me earlier."

"Hai, taicho," Said a woman with a long, backwards braid. "It seems that Aizen is really dead. We did conclude that it was a fake body but my latest autopsies have proven us wrong. He is completely dead. We do not know who killed him, but it seems that he has simply died of blood loss."

"But that is not possible! How can a captain die of blood loss?!" Kepachi grumbled. "He was incompetent, right from the start."

"He must be hiding something," Soi Fon said. "As much as I despise this, I agree with Captain Kenpachi."

"What do you mean by that?!" Kenpachi growled at the petite woman.

"Silence!" Yamamoto's roar effectively silenced them both. "I assure you, he is dead. And this is classified information. Do not repeat this to anyone except you Lieutenants and even then, reveal it to them only when necessary. We cannot allow the Gotei 13 to fall apart. Ichimaru and Tousen have betrayed us and are planning something. I will not stand for any petty bickering, understand? Be on your guards, for something is coming. You are dismissed. Hitsugaya-taichou, please stay back."

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The cries of Menos filled the smoky air. Apartments were burning, people were running in any and every direction, trying to flee the fires, blind to the even bigger threat that loomed above them. Children were crying as they were separated from their parents or were crushed underneath collapsed buildings. Old people, too weak to run, were left behind and trampled on.

At every corner of Karakura town, there was a Shinigami, the lower-ranked ones fending off the weakest Hollows and the mostly seated Shinigami were taking on the Menos, most with no success.

In Urahara's shop, the blond man sat at the table, thoughtfully sipping a cup of tea. At first glance, he seemed oblivious to the chaos outside but as Yoruichi slammed the living room's door open and emerged from a darkened hallway, he looked out the window, propping his chin in one hand.

"Aren't you going to do something?" She said, coming over to sit opposite him and casually pouring herself a cup of steaming green tea.

"It's not my battle to fight." Urahara replied.

"So what? You're just being lazy."

"I didn't come here to protect the town, Yoruichi. I came here to protect _us_." He peered inside his teacup, swishing the contents around. "Did you know that green tea one of the best teas for your health? And it's surprisingly cheap,"

Yoruichi narrowed her golden eyes at him. "Don't change the subject Kisuke. What are you protecting us from? Soul Society? They won't bother us if we don't bother them."

"And taking out the Menos won't be 'bothering' them?"

"For god's sake, Kisuke! Why are you being so difficult?!" She paused as something could be heard crashing into the back part of the shop.

Urahara poured himself another cup of tea, this time adding a sprinkle of sugar. "We should not interfere until we know what's actually happening. Sugar?"

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**A/N: **Uhm... yeah. I dunno, does it seem like it's lacking something? I promise it'll get more interesting as it goes on. ^_^ Reviews make me happy~


	2. Chapter 2: Mistakes

**Chapter 2 **

The burning building crashing down and the panicked screams and yells had alerted Ichigo, his family and Rukia, who was currently residing in his closet. It was kind of impossible not to, anyway, if the crash of a Menos' foot straight through the roof of their house was anything to go by. Yuzu was on the verge of tears as she ran through the doorway, stumbling on the threshold before being caught by Ichigo, who held her in a tight, protective grip.

"What on earth…?" He muttered, looking all around him in a mixture of confusion and determination to help.

Rukia whipped out her communicator from her pyjama bottoms and hurriedly dialled Soul Society. "I'm gonna see what's going on. Ichigo, get them to safety!" She commanded, holding the communicator up to her ear and pointing to the street with her other hand.

Ichigo wasn't usually someone who took orders from anyone, let alone Rukia, but Yuzu's frightened scream and Karin's involuntary grab on the back of his shirt put all protests away from his mind and he broke into a run. Yuzu and Karin – although she would deny it later on – clung onto him, ducking as pieces of burning rubble crashed down at almost every step they took.

Ichigo had absolutely no idea where to go. From what he could see, the whole town was engulfed in flames and people were running around haphazardly, not knowing where to go, just shoving and pushing in an effort to get away from the blaze. There were Shinigami at every odd corner, trying to keep the Menos from destroying the town any further and from what Ichigo could see, they weren't doing a very good job.

He looked around to orient himself and noticed the familiar street. They were just a block away from Urahara's shop so he turned left and ran as fast as he could, holding on to his two sisters to steady them as he went. At the back of his mind, he registered that neither Kon nor his father were following him – although Kon could just have stowed away with Rukia – and he felt a momentary pang of concern before he waved it away. Getting Yuzu and Karin to safety was his first priority, he decided, as they narrowly avoided a falling part of a broken roof.

By the time he reached Urahara's, it had gone almost eerily silent, and he couldn't see the Menos anymore, and to a more important degree, the townspeople.

He slid open the door with a bang and rushed in, ushering Yuzu and Karin in and slammed the door closed.

"Ichi-nii, where are we? What are we doing here?" Yuzu asked, the tears in her eyes almost spilling out. Her cheeks were smeared with soot and she was holding hands tightly with Karin, who was a little worse for wear but fine. "Where's dad?"

"I don't know, Yuzu," Ichigo replied, inwardly racking his brain for an answer that wouldn't panic his 12-year-old sister. "I guess he went to help the people evacuate safely?" It came out more of as a question than an explanation, but in her relief, Yuzu accepted it without complaint. Karin, however, just narrowed her eyes at her older brother. "Stay here, okay? I'll be back soon."

Yuzu and Karin nodded. He gave them what he hoped was a reassuring smile and walked in deeper into the shop, intent on finding the slightly crazy shopkeeper and demand an explanation.

Hearing the sound of muffled talking from behind the thin door, he slammed it open without bothering to knock and stormed in. Urahara, who was missing his hat, coat, fan and sandals, looked up from his tea towards the redhead. Yoruichi sat opposite him, clad in a sleeping yukata and nothing else. She seemed angry at Urahara, but when Ichigo came in she seemed even angrier.

However, her anger wasn't directed at him, as he inwardly feared, but at the shopkeeper. Before he had time to ask or do anything, the dark-skinned woman had already started what seemed to be scolding the man in soft, hushed tones.

"See, even he's here, wondering what's going on and I bet he dragged his whole family with him!" was the only thing Ichigo managed to catch from the rushed whispers. As they went on with their discussion, completely disregarding him as if he wasn't there, Ichigo grew more and more irritated and finally snapped.

"Would you stop it already and tell me what the hell's going on?!" He demanded, careful to keep his voice down in case his sisters could hear him.

"We don't know, Kurosaki-san." Urahara replied.

Ichigo took a step back, shocked. If Urahara didn't know what it was… then who could possible know apart from Soul Society? And he would bet Kon that they didn't fully know what was going on either. He ran a hand through his orange hair and sighed.

"Alright then, thanks for nothing, I guess." He grumbled.

Just as he was about to leave, Urahara's voice called him back. "Come, now, Kurosaki-san. Have a drink with us… we have important things to discuss." Ichigo glared at him.

"My sisters are waiting… maybe some other time." He replied. "Can they stay here for the time being?" For a moment, he thought Urahara would say no because of the harsh tone of voice he'd used but the man just smiled and waved him away.

"Do what you like, Kurosaki-san. They can stay with us, I'm sure I have a spare room somewhere~…"

Ichigo nodded in thanks and left the room, walking down the halls at a brisk pace in order to reach his sisters faster.

When he reached the front hall where he'd left his sisters, they were nowhere in sight. Panic gripped him, and ran towards the front door, slid it open and scanned the backyard for any sign of them. "Yuzu! Karin!" He yelled.

It was empty, with no sign of his 12-year-old sisters.

Then a scream, loud and terrified, rang out and made Ichigo panic even more. He cursed Kon, for disappearing just when he needed him and then remembered Rukia's Chappy soul candy that she'd left with him the day before. Grimacing, he pulled it out of his pocket and quickly swallowed a pill and immediately felt his soul split from his body. Chappy wouldn't have been his first choice in Gigai pills, as the pill started imitating bunnies and in the scowling teen's body, it looked mildly grotesque.

He didn't pause in taking out Zangestu and followed the source of the scream. He circled round the back of Urahara's shop and past the fence, where he saw his two sisters cowering against the brick wall opposite the fence, with a large but weak Hollow sneering in their faces. It had a thick long neck, not unlike a horse's, a serpentine head and a thick, muscular body. It was hissing something, but its speech was slurred and distorted, unlike most other Hollows.

"Pretty… meal… young… flesh…delicious…"

That was enough for Ichigo. He charged behind the Hollow and before it could even turn, he brought down Zangetsu and cleanly cleaved it in two. As the Hollow dissolved into nothingness he saw Karin and Yuzu's frightened faces. However, Karin's quickly morphed into one of shock.

"Ichi-nii?" She asked. Yuzu turned towards her sister and followed her gaze into the empty air. She heard the hissing and the cries of some unseen beasts but Ichigo?

"Karin, what are you talking about? Is Ichi-nii there?" She asked.

Karin nodded.

'_Shit.'_ Ichigo quickly flashstepped away and back towards his body. He caught the bouncing ball of energy and quickly ejected the pill and stepped back inside. He placed the pill back in the bunny container, glaring at it all the while.

"Yuzu, Karin, stay here and don't move. I'll be back, before you know it." Ichigo gave his sisters a somewhat tight, reassuring smile and closed the sliding door. As he passed Urahara, who had now moved to the living room, he raised a hand in thanks and ran out the door.

The onslaught seemed to have stopped, but the town was now a smoking ruin. Most of Karakura's residents were gone, and the ones that remained were either looking for their loved ones amidst the rubble of mourning them. Warily, he approached a Shinigami and tapped him on the shoulder.

The tall, bearded Shinigami with tiny, shark-like teeth turned around and when the saw the teenager in a t-shirt and jeans look at him like it was a normal occurrence, he cried out and attempted a glare. "Who are you, kid? How can you see me?" He demanded.

Ichigo ignored the question. "What happened here? Where did the Menos go?" This made the Shinigami even more bewildered than before and, seeing that the man was about to draw his sword, Ichigo rolled his eyes and ran in the opposite direction, hoping to find another, more cooperative Shinigami.

He heard the man chuckle behind him, and heard, "That's right, run away, you coward!" Feeling anger well up within him, Ichigo turned around to stalk back and give the man a piece of his mind when he heard a familiar voice.

"Ichigo!" It was Rukia. She was running from the same direction he'd been heading less than a second ago, and it made Ichigo briefly wonder where she'd come from. And, with a sense of satisfaction, he saw Kon sitting on the raven-haired-girl's shoulder.

"Rukia! Where did the Menos go?" Ichigo didn't waste any time in getting to the point and this time, it seemed Rukia didn't seem to mind.

She shrugged, keeping a hand on her Zanpakuto. "I don't know, they just disappeared back into the Garganta all of a sudden."

"That's strange…" Ichigo frowned. "Whatever, let's go check for any more Hollows."

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"Are you done?" The white-haired boy grumbled as he slammed the door behind him and sat heavily onto the only chair in the tiny, shabby room.

The room was small, dark and the only light was coming from a lantern hung in a corner of the room. Most of the space was taken up by a large desk on which a brewing pot rested, not unlike a witch's cauldron. There were phials on either side of it, bowls of unidentifiable plants and powder and other seemingly random things.

There were two people in the room. One was another boy, taller than the first with identical platinum blonde hair but darker eyes and a slimmer, mature face. The third was a girl, with a baby-ish face and shoulder-length light hair tied into a messy ponytail. She was leaning over the pot, her glasses fogging up as the steam obscured her vision.

"No!" The tall boy snapped and the girl threw the short boy a dirty look. She pushed up her long, thick bangs away from her face along with her glasses and waved the steam away, revealing a light-blue concoction that swirled innocently.

Pleased with the outcome, she dropped two bowls of colored powder and a few leaves and put a lid onto the pot. "I'm almost done," she spoke, her voice soft and childlike. A few minutes later, she put the cork stoppers into the filled phials and handed them to the taller boy. "Please don't drop them, or you'll lose your legs."

"…I'll make a mental note," He replied and put them away out of sight in his tattered kimono.

"We'd better get going, it's almost time," The shorter boy got up and gave the girl a brief hug. "Stay safe." The older boy said as he hugged her.

The girl smiled at them and pushed her glasses up her nose. "At least it's nearly over." And with a small smile, they two boys, Daichi and Yang were left alone.

She ran out of the shabby house and onto the street, weaving her way from alley to road to path back to Seireitei. Before she reached the gate, she ducked into an alley and chanced into her shihakusho and, as she passed the gate, the gatekeeper gave her a suspicious glance but didn't make a move to stop her.

She picked the most deserted pathways, avoid any contact with other Shinigami. The 2nd Division's barracks came into view in the distance and the girl quickly slipped between the gates just as they thudded shut.

"Yue! Come here!" Soi-Fon commanded from the main barracks, still in her uniform.

"Hai, taicho!" Yue immediately responded and walked over to the captain in the quick, precise manner than had been drilled into every Shinigami serving the 2nd Division. She bowed at a 90 degree angle and could feel her heart racing wildly, knowing that even one mistake on her part could sentence all three of them, Daichi, Yang and Yue to life imprisonment – and since Yue had seen the cells the Gotei 13 used, she really didn't want to spend the rest of her days there – and worse, execution.

"Where were you? You're late."

"I was dealing with some unruly villagers in the 74th district. I apologize, taicho, it will not happen again!" Yue said in one breath and in a strong confident voice unlike her normal near-whisper. Soi-Fon demanded utmost respect from all of them and didn't tolerate anyone being submissive or shy, or whatever 'mental crisis' they were dealing with.

Soi-Fon studied her for a moment, with her sharp, dark eyes. "You're dismissed." She finally said and disappeared into the barracks.

As soon as Yue was sure Soi-Fon was out of earshot, she breathed a sigh of relief and headed towards the smaller barracks.

And, as she sat on her futon leaning against the wall, her vision went blurry, slipping in and out of focus, until she could see strange shapes floating and swirling around her, suffocating her, and a deep laugh that unnerved her. Closing her eyes didn't help, nor did burying her head in her arms. And, among the crazed laughing, the hushed voices and strange faces, Yue realized her mistake.

"Kami, what have I done?"

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**A/N:** Okay, I finally finished the second chapter. Sorry it took so long, I was having major writer's block ^^''

**Disclaimer: **I do not in any shape, way or form own Bleach or it's characters. I only own Yue.


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